Page 175 of What Started In Deception

He stopped her for just a second with his hand on her arm before he let her go. “Bye, Lyd.”

And then she left, running to her SUV as soon as the door shut behind her, swiping at the tears trailing down her cheeks.

Making fast work of turning over the engine and putting the Kia in reverse, she spotted Ty’s black pickup that she hadn’t noticed parked on the street.

Heading back down the road, she sucked in a shuddering breath as she turned toward the interstate, craving to be anywhere but there.

She imagined that Gram-Gram had only been trying to help, but she’d made everything so much worse.

Ty clenched his jaw as he fisted his hands, watching the door shut behind Lydia. “Fuck,” he said as he turned, spotting Marietta standing by the stairs in one of her slacks and blouse outfits. “I’m going to take off.”

“To go after her?”

He shook his head, even as he physically ached for the woman whom he’d just let walk away. “No.”

Marietta pressed her lips firmly together in what could only be disapproval. “I would give anything to have my Beau back, but that will never happen. Two hours doesn’t seem like much of a drive when the person you so clearly care about is as miserable as you are.”

He shook his head again. “I can’t.”

“Do you love my granddaughter, Tyler?”

He held her steely stare before he nodded. “I do. But I can’t be with her. Not the way that she wants or needs. My job⁠—”

“Is a job.”

He frowned. “My career is how I honor my father.”

“Does Lydia make you happy?”

He nodded again. “Of course.”

“A parent only ever wants their child to be happy. It’s their greatest wish. I know in my bones that Aaron and Avery would be thrilled that their Lidybug was building a life with such a wonderful person. I have a hard time believing that your father would want anything less for you.”

He clenched his jaw, knowing that Marietta was right.

“I saw my granddaughter’s eyes when she walked into that sitting room. She told you everything you needed to know without saying a word at all. What are you going to do about that, Tyler?”

He swallowed, saying nothing, still holding her stare.

Marietta shook her head as she moved back toward the sitting room. “I’ll let you see yourself out.”

And just like that, he’d been dismissed.

“Fuck,” he said as he walked out, shutting the door behind him, heading toward his truck.

He wanted to be pissed at Marietta for ambushing him. Seeing Lydia again was a punishing reminder of exactly what he’d lost, which he imagined had been the point and Marietta’s plan all along.

Sitting in his seat, he slammed his hand against the steering wheel, hating that he’d watched Lydia blink back her tears again, loathing that he was the reason that she was sad.

He’d never wanted to hurt her, but that’s exactly what he’d done because Marietta had been right. He’d seen everything that he needed to see in Lydia’s big hazel eyes. He’d seen it for a while now.

Settling his head against the rest, he exhaled a long breath, knowing that he had choices to make.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Ty sat at his desk, rereading the same paragraph for the third time, realizing that the information still wasn’t sinking in. “Damn it,” he whispered as he sat up straighter, attempting to focus again.

He’d been trying to get through the freaking ten-page report for the last thirty minutes, then for an hour before that. Eventually, he’d given up and stopped for lunch, but so far, his break wasn’t proving to have helped him much.